


Curiosity, As They Say

by Ellohcee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Get Together, Marichat, chat's awesome dating advice, pre-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 05:17:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellohcee/pseuds/Ellohcee
Summary: Following the events of Glaciator, Adrien can't stop think about his encounter with Marinette on her balcony, and decides to get some answers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one was requested on Tumblr as part of the 50 prompt challenge, and will be a few chapters.
> 
> Writing Prompt #19 - Candle
> 
> This work can also be found on my Tumblr [here](https://ellohcee.tumblr.com/post/173875070693/im-not-sure-if-youve-done-it-already-but-i-was)

Adrien stared at the wall, frowning at it for all he was worth, as if hoping it would solve all of life’s mysteries. If he could peel back the paint, the drywall, the supports, he could surely find his answer deep within the recesses.

He did not.

He made a clicking sound with his tongue, bouncing his leg in an agitated manner without realizing he was doing it.

“Kid, please, you need to relax, you’re stressing me out,” Plagg complained from his spot on the bed. “All that nervous energy, I feel that you know.”

“Plagg, who do you think Marinette likes?” he asked suddenly, not at all acknowledging the Kwami’s complaint. This kid.

“Cheese and crackers,” Plagg sighed under his breath, silently asking Tikki for strength. She was the patient one, she liked to guide these wayward souls in times of crisis. Plagg just wanted to eat cheese. “I don’t know, why don’t you ask her?” he replied sweetly, resting his cheek on one paw and watching his human with slit eyes. He’d told the kid from the get-go not to reveal his identity to anyone, including Ladybug, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t unknowingly fraternize.

Although if Adrien walked up to the girl and just flat out asked who she liked it would probably send her into cardiac arrest. Okay, yeah, not the best idea. They were too young, too stupid, too naive.

“You know what, I will,” Adrien said suddenly, as if he’d been struck by inspiration, an excited look on his face. Oh geez.

“No, kid, I didn’t mean for you to actually-”

“Plagg, transform me!”

_Rude, I was still talking,_  Plagg thought bitterly as he was sucked into the ring, vowing to destroy something of Adrien’s once they were back home. Something small, he wouldn’t find it right away.

Chat Noir ghosted from his bedroom window and out into the night, heading towards the familiar bakery. It had been a couple days since the Akuma attack involving Marinette, so it would be a viable excuse to go over there and check up on her, make sure she was okay.

Chat spotted something and hopped a few rooftops over, suddenly realizing with embarrassment he’d never cleaned up all the candles. The rose petals he’d strategically scattered had been carried off by the wind, but the rest of the items remained. He would remember this time, but first, Marinette. He picked up one of the candles and the packet of matches before jumping over to her balcony. He set the candle on her table and lit a match, holding it carefully against the wick until it caught.

The hero peered over at the trap door window, seeing her light was on. He could hear movement within, and if he wasn’t mistaken, the sound of a sewing machine. He smiled, Marinette sure was a hard worker, it was getting late and she was working on some project of hers. He walked a little closer, tapping softly on the window. The sound of the machine stilled, so he took his opportunity with a flair of his caliber.

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” he called, and he heard footsteps as she walked over to the ladder. “It is the east,” he continued, and with perfect timing, Marinette appeared through the window and he gestured grandly at her. “And Marinette is the sun!”

Looking wary but amused, Marinette gave him a smile of greeting. “Romeo!” she said in mock surprise. “To what do I owe the sudden visit?”

“Why, I wanted to make sure this Princess was faring well after our last Akuma encounter,” Chat replied theatrically. “Might this  _Cat_ ague steal a moment of your time?”

Marinette chuckled softly, leaning the window back against the wall and climbing out. “Well, I have to admire your dedication to the bit, added points for improv,” she praised, placing hands on her hips. “Although I have to make a suggestion,  _you_ should be Juliet. The House of  _Cat_ ulet has a better ring, don’t you think?”

Chat’s grin was immediate, both for the pun-about and for missing the obvious. “A very good point, I am quite fair myself,” he teased, placing one hand to his chest in a classic fair-maiden pose. “Well alright my Romeo, wellness check!” he announced, clapping his hands together. “Are you traumatized? Are you house-ridden? Do you need therapy? Because I’m a great listener.”

Marinette giggled, pushing him on the shoulder. “You’re such a dork. No, I’m not traumatized. Is that your big wellness check?”

“That’s part one,” Chat amended, holding up a single digit to correct her. “Now, part two is uh, a bit out of the norm, but I can’t help but wonder…” he said, trailing off as she watched him curiously. “Are you… still heartbroken?” he asked carefully, making her eyes go wide.

“Oh! Um, kind of?” Marinette hedged nervously, rubbing one arm as the conversation took a turn. She hadn’t expected him to bring that up. “I mean, I’ve moved on from the particular event, you… caught me on a bad day,” she admitted. “But other than that, things are the same,” she sighed.

Chat frowned. He felt bad bringing up the subject, it was clearly a sore one in general, but he was curious. Relentlessly.

And curiosity, as they say…

“So this guy…” he said warily, seeing a blush rise to her cheeks. “Did he reject you?” he asked.

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head softly. “I haven’t told him.”

“So he’s just oblivious,” Chat finished matter-of-factly.

Tikki, who was hiding just out of sight beyond the window, sighed and shook her head.  _Oh Chat, if only you knew,_ she thought to herself with a chuckle.

Back on the balcony, Marinette hedged on an answer. She didn’t think that was fair, to put it so bluntly like that. “It’s more like… When I try to tell him, or even talk to him, I come off as a huge dork,” she winced. “It’s really not his fault, I just can’t… I can’t…” she trailed off in defeat, heaving a sigh.

Chat frowned, hating to see his friend so sad. “Maybe I can help, who is it? I could go talk to him.”

Marinette’s face froze in shock as she whipped her head up to look at him with wide eyes. “No. No. No no no. I have enough friends trying to set me up with him and it never ends well, so don’t even think about it alley cat.”

“Okay okay, I’ll butt out,” he relented, laughing at the perturbed look on her face. “How about a little coaching then?

“Coaching?” she repeated skeptically, on the verge of laughter for reasons he couldn’t comprehend. “What, you’re a dating expert?”

The hero blinked, scratching at the side of his face with one careful claw. “Er, well, no. But! I am a guy!” he said suddenly, as if that made up for everything. “So I  _do_ know a bit about how they think,” he added in victoriously.

“A bit?” Marinette said dryly, humor in her voice showing through her eyes as well. “That’s comforting.”

“I’m serious,” Chat pouted. “I hate to see you sad over this fool.”

“He’s not a fool Chat,” Marinette warned, despite the smile on her face.

“He is if he’s blind to your feelings, any guy would be lucky to have you in love with him!” the hero exclaimed, a little too loudly. It took him a few seconds, but the pink on her face made him consider what he’d said, and Chat blushed, feeling his heart thump a little in embarrassment for the outburst. “It’s true,” he coughed.

Marinette fiddled with her hands, trying to distract herself from the warmth in her cheeks. “So let me ask you this, we barely know each other,” she said carefully, eyes flickering to him briefly and catching an odd look on his face. “Why do you want to help me?”

Okay. He had to be strategic here. How did he tell her without revealing too much? Even being incredibly vague, it could totally blow up in his face if she thought on in too much. But he couldn’t dismiss it as a ‘hero thing.’ Heroes didn’t meddle in people’s love lives, that was definitely not in his job description, and she would smell his lie in an instant. She was a smart one.

Chat let out a little puff of air, wondering how much trouble he was going to get into for this. “Okay, well, let’s just say… hypothetically, we’re… less strangers than you realize.”

Marinette’s head whirled around again in his direction so fast she felt whiplash, heart beating quicker all the sudden. “What?” she asked in shock, blinking. “You mean-”

“Not so loud,” he pleaded, holding a hand out towards her. The girl immediately covered her mouth with one hand, looking embarrassed. “Don’t think on it too much, okay? It’s for your safety. And don’t- I mean, I don’t know when you’d get the chance- but don’t tell Ladybug, okay?” he pleaded.

“Oh yes- I mean, no, of course I won’t tell her,” Marinette promised, feeling a little guilty because Ladybug already knew, she had a front row seat, but she couldn’t tell him that. “Well, um, okay then.”

“Okay?” he repeated, surprised. “So you’ll let me- I can try to help you?”

Marinette sighed, realizing this probably was a bad idea on some level, but finding she couldn’t say no to him on this one. Him and those damn kitten eyes. “Yeah, okay, nothing crazy though, no feeding me advice through and earpiece or anything,” she mumbled.

Chat’s breath caught loudly and he started choking on a laugh, causing Marinette to give him a look that was a mixture of concern and confused. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m super!” he replied, bouncing back even as he got his breathing under control. “Okay princess, I’m going to get out of your hair for now since it’s getting late, but we’ll get started on a game plan in a few days. Is Thursday alright? I could stop by around 8?”

“Sure,” Marinette nodded. “I’ll have some snacks ready for you as thanks,” she teased, earning a look at amazement from Chat.

“Princess, this boy is going to fall  _so_ hard for you, he won’t know what hit him,” he ‘tsk’ed, plucking the candle off the table and holding it out to her. “Until then, let this candle be your shining beacon of hope in the dark!” he said theatrically, and she immediately burst out laughing.

“You are such a  _dork_ ,” she exclaimed around her laughter, taking the candle from him and wiping at her eye with the other hand. “Okay fair maiden, I can’t take anymore of you tonight, so I’ll see you Thursday.”

“Until then, my Romeo,” Chat replied with a grand bow, before extending his staff and vaulting away into the night.

She stood watching him a with a fond grin, and after a moment Tikki flew out from the bedroom below, hovering in front of Marinette and giving her a look. “So, I’m assuming you heard all of that,” Marinette tutted, eyeing her Kwami as she prepared to hear why this was a bad idea.

“Of course,” Tikki chirped happily. “I think it’s sweet.”

Marinette’s eyebrows drew together, wondering why Tikki didn’t have some warning against this, some words of wisdom. And why did she look so… evil? “You’re plotting,” she said flatly.

“What? Why, of course not!” the Kwami denied, looking mortally offended. “I just think it’s nice of him to be so concerned.”

Not at all convinced, Marinette sighed and blew out the candle, bringing it with her as she headed inside.

She was already regretting this.


	2. Advice and a Snack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat makes good on his promise and returns, in which a piece of the puzzle comes to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 is not based on any of the prompts, just ran wild with this one.
> 
> This can also be found on my tumblr [here](https://ellohcee.tumblr.com/post/174349352918/curiosity-as-they-say-part-2)

She did one final check of her room, eyes roving for anything out of place before deeming it acceptable. Most likely they would be on the roof the whole time, and she wasn’t sure that she was even going to tell Chat Noir who she was crushing on, but if either of those happened she didn’t want him seeing the posters. It seemed to be a fairly warm night though, so she didn’t anticipate letting him into her room. It never hurt to be safe, especially now with the knowledge that he was someone she knew.

That had been driving her crazy for the last three days. She knew him under the mask, if his words were to be taken to heart, and had no reason to doubt him. She was trying not to think on it, their identities were to be kept secret for good reason. “Ugh, I wish he hadn’t told me that,” she mumbled in annoyance. “Tikki, this was a bad idea.”

The Kwami hovering near her shoulder let out a laugh, before flying closer and patting her on the cheek. “You’ll be fine Marinette. Just don’t worry about it too much.”

“But none of this should be happening,” she worried, clutching her hands together. “Him telling me that I know him, me inviting him into my personal life, it could be dangerous for both of us.”

“True,” Tikki confirmed softly, not reprimanding. “But nothing’s revealed, nothing major. So as long as he doesn’t spill anything else, which it seems like he won’t, you two will be fine. Besides, I’m sure you’ll have fun talking. You’ll get to know each other a little better from a different perspective.”

“I guess, as long as you think it’s alright,” Marinette replied, trusting the wisdom of her Kwami. “I’d better go up and wait for him,” she mused, throwing on a light sweater before grabbing her sketchbook and the plastic container of pastries. Once she was up on the roof, she set the airtight container on the little table and got comfortable in the lounge chair, opening the book to start a design while she waited.

Marinette got a rough sketch done while she waited, and she was getting to some refinements when the hero showed up a few minutes before eight. “Good even Princess,” he greeted, hopping from the railing to the roof and approaching. Marinette tried to take his usual comment in stride, but couldn’t help the thought that someone she knew under that mask was calling her Princess.

She cleared her throat, closing the sketchbook to take a moment to compose herself. “Hello Chat Noir, I hope you saved room after dinner,” she said, walking over to the table. Marinette took the lid off the container and displayed to him the treats inside.

Chat’s eyes went wide with joy, an excited little squeak of delight escaping his lips. “Wow, those look amazing! Your bakery has the best pastries,” he said in glee, deciding furtively which one he wanted first. His hand hovered, darting for one, then a different, before settling on an eclair.  _There goes my carefully crafted diet for the week,_  he thought rebelliously, absolutely no shame.

Marinette smiled at the excited look on his face, taking out a cream puff for herself before closing the container and setting it aside. When she looked up, Chat’s face was a mix of delight and agony, and she could almost swear there were tears gathering in his eyes. “Marinette,” he whispered once he’d swallowed the bite. “This is soooo good,” he lamented, taking another bite and wiggling just a little.

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh, as much as he tried to play the cool, flirty joker, sometimes he was just downright adorable. “I’m glad you like it,” she chuckled, taking a bite of her pastry as well. “You can have as much as you’d like.”

“Please don’t tell me that,” Chat replied after he finished chewing. “I’m not supposed to eat this stuff, so when it’s in front of me I have little-to-no self control,” he lamented.

“Do you want me to put a limit on you?” Marinette asked, amusement on her face.

“Yes, please cap me at three, otherwise I’ll eat myself sick. If you see me go for more than that, hit me with a stick or something,” he snickered, and Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Not necessary, I  _can_ just take them away you know,” she tutted, taking another bite of her pastry. “So Love Professor, shall we begin the lesson?”

Chat popped the last bite of eclair into his mouth, chewing in absolute bliss as he wiped any stray crumbs from his hands. Once he was done, he let out a content sigh. “Tuition fee payed, yes I believe we can start,” he said, leaning against the railing as his pupil lat in the lounge chair. “Okay, so is this guy? I need to get a handle on how to coach you.”

Marinette flushed cutely, tucking some hair behind her ear only for it to slide out moments later. “I’m… not sure I want to say yet. I can tell you  _about_ him.”

Chat frowned, watching as her normal demeanor changed again. “No need to be embarrassed.”

“I can’t help it, I always get so…  _flustered!_ ” she exclaimed, pressing hands to her face as if she could physically fight down the blush. She heard a chuckle, whipping around to look at him with a piercing glare. “What’s so funny, cat?” she demanded.

“I’m sorry!” he immediately replied, holding hands out in front of him to try to placate her. “I’m sorry, it’s just, you were so cool and collected a few minutes ago, now you’re…” he gestured vaguely to her with one clawed hand, making her blush deepen. “It’s cute,” he snickered.

“What??” she squeaked, hiding more of her face as it went hotter. “No it’s not! I look like an idiot around him!”

“I’m sure you don’t,” he chuckled, feeling that same burst of affection for her that he often got at school when she was tongue tied. She was such a whirlwind, it never ceased to amaze him how lively and passionate she was. One moment she could be quiet and pensive, and the next she was full of fire. She was so dynamic, it made him wish more than ever he could express himself freely like that as Adrien.

“I do, it’s the most embarrassing thing ever, he probably thinks I’m ridiculous,” she mumbled sadly, looking downcast through her fingers.

Chat blinked in surprise at the next shift in her mood, suddenly feeling his heart wrench at seeing her sad expression. “Hey,” he said, walking over and crouching in front of where she sat. Marinette dropped her hands in surprise, and he took the chance to take one of them and clasp it between in his own. “Don’t think that, Princess,” he said softly, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “Anyone around you knows you’re smart, talented, and amazing. He may be blind to your feelings, but he can’t be blind to that.”

Marinette stared at him in shock for a long moment, the heat in her face slowly increasing until she had to look away to preserve her sanity. “Chat,” she chastised weakly, placing her free hand to one cheek in an attempt to cool down. “Stop, you’re going to give me an ego.”

“I will not stop!” he said matter-of-factly, placing clawed fingers to his chest as if pledging his allegiance to royalty. “In fact, the Marinette Protection Coalition is going to make sure this idiot notices you!”

Thankful for the shift in seriousness, Marinette tried to hide her burst of laughter behind her hand, but it escaped regardless. “What? Who’s this coalition?” she asked around her laughter, tears peppering her eyes from mirth.

“ME!” Chat said with a grin, standing up and gesturing widely. “And all your friends! Alya, Nino, and Adrien of course!” he added matter-of-factly, missing the strangled sound she made behind her fingers. When he looked down at her again, Marinette was still blushing, but with the biggest, silliest smile on her face, still giggling. “What is it?” he asked curiously.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed, trying to get her laughter under control while wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s just, you put on such a show while fighting Akumas, all your theatrics and puns, sometimes I forget how much of a sweetheart you are,” she added softly, giving the hand that still held hers a little squeeze of thanks.

His eyes were wide and stunned from her statement, and suddenly Chat was the one blushing. He scratched at his cheek with one careful claw, avoiding her radiant smile in an attempt to compose himself. “Well ah, ‘kill them with kindness’ doesn’t seem to go over too well with Akumas, so that part doesn’t get seen by the public too much.”

Marinette chuckled softly, she knew better than anyone how kind and sweet he could be when they were talking, but that was usually with Ladybug, so he didn’t know to the extent. “But thank you, really. You made me feel much better just now,” she told him, bringing a big smile to his face.

“I’m glad I could help, I don’t like seeing you sad,” he replied happily.

“And Chat, you can let go of my hand now,” she added, a little tease in her voice.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry,” he said hastily, releasing her fingers after a totally not really-long-time of holding her hand. “Well,” he coughed. “What do you say we get to your coaching, huh? Tell me about this guy, besides the fact he’s oblivious.”

In Marinette’s bedroom, Tikki shook her head with a sigh, smiling wryly. “You’re both idiots,” she said fondly, nibbling on a cookie.

“Well,” the girl began, pink lingering in her cheeks as she thought of Adrien. “He’s sweet, like, the nicest boy I’ve ever met. I didn’t think so at first because of a misunderstanding, but I was way wrong. He’s also smart, and talented, and he’s always kind to everyone…” she sighed, looking dreamily off into the distance. “Of course, there is still a lot I don’t know about him…” she trailed off, thoughtful. “It’s hard, when I can’t get full sentences out around him, you know? But I  _want_ to know him better, I know it can’t all be what I see on the surface…”

Chat watched her glumly, wondering at a way to help. “Okay, so you’re nervous, that’s normal. How about when friends are around?”

“I’ve tried!” she whined. “Sometimes it helps, but the times when I _really_ feel like it’s going to go right, something happens.”

“Like what?” the hero asked curiously, tilting his head.

“Usually Akuma attacks,” she bit out in annoyance. “Like one time, all four of us were supposed to go to the zoo, right? Akuma! His birthday? Akuma! Playing video games together? Akuma!!” she huffed angrily, and something in Chat’s chest twinged harshly, as… a lot of this sounded familiar… “But the biggest thing, the reason I was so down that night…” she groaned, running a hand over her face. “It’s stupid. We were supposed to meet and go track down Andre the ice cream vendor, us and four other friends. And I was stupid and got my hopes up, and it’s not his fault but he couldn’t make it…”

His throat clenched, heart beating wildly in his chest as something started clawing his mind for attention, dawning realization. “What happened?” he asked, doing an admirable job of keeping his voice steady.

“Something to do with his father,” she murmured sadly. “He doesn’t get a lot of freedom, so I know it’s not his fault, I just… I was so bummed. When Andre asked me, I said no thanks, it’s supposed to be ice cream for couples, you know? And I just wasn’t feeling that. He insisted, and I politely declined, really, I wasn’t trying to hurt his feelings, but he was upset and… um, Akuma,” she said sheepishly, shrugging one shoulder.

Chat’s head spun a little as things clicked into place, but he kept his composure, managing to speak. “Hey, that’s not your fault,” he said softly. “Someone doesn’t want ice cream, you take that and move on, right?” he chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she sighed, looking forlorn.

_Oh mon dieu._

“Well Princess,” he said grandly, standing up straight from his position against the railing. “With this information, I’m going to devise a strategy for you. So we’ll call it for tonight and I’ll give you my thoughts in a few days.”

Marinette blinked, smiling up at him. “You didn’t even hit your limit yet, will you take a snack for the road?” she offered kindly, standing up to approach the container she’d left on the table. She grabbed it and turned to him, holding it open.

“Ah, guess I can take another and still call it a win for my self control,” he said with a grin, trying so,  _so_ hard to act normal as he reached in to take a jam square. When he took the treat and looked up to meet her eyes, a force of emotions slammed him hard in the chest, vying for attention in a way he couldn’t process. “Well then,” he said, keeping his voice from cracking. “I’m not sure when my next free night is, but I’ll try to catch you after a patrol maybe?”

“Sounds good, thank you for listening Chat, it really helped,” she said with a smile, and he could feel the flush creeping up so he made his exit.

“Anytime, Princess, see you next time!” he said cheerfully, grabbing his baton and extending it to vault away into the night.

\- - - -

As soon as he got home, Chat dropped transformation and flung himself on the bed. Plagg hovered near him lazily, watching his kid run hands through his hair and mumble something into the pillow that sounded suspiciously like ‘so stupid.’

“So, how’d it go?” the Kwami drawled.

Adrien’s face emerged from where he’d been trying to smother himself, looking ruffled and shell-shocked. “Plagg,  _I’m_ the oblivious idiot!” he exclaimed desperately.

“You don’t say,” Plagg replied, not even pretending to be surprised, merely rolling his eyes as Adrien had his freak out.


End file.
